M6:378 — این جهان دامست و دانه‌آرزو / در گریز از دامها روی آر زو

Translation: This world is a snare, and desire its bait; / To escape the snares, turn your face from desire. Meaning: Rumi posits that the world functions as a trap, drawing us in with its allure, and this allure is nothing but our own desires. The sole path to freedom from these snares is to abandon and renounce all worldly longings.

Here, Mevlana emphatically and clearly likens the world to a trap, with our desires as its bait. This is no mere poetic imagery, but a profound ontological and didactic statement: the world, perhaps not inherently a menacing snare, becomes one through our desires. As long as desire exists, the world can ensnare and bind us.

This assertion by Mevlana, as I have often pointed out, carries a distinct resonance with Buddhist thought. In Buddhism, the root of suffering and entanglement lies in craving and thirst (taṇhā). Mevlana, likewise, states unequivocally: "Desire nothing, have no longings." This explicit command illuminates the path to liberation: once the bait of desire is removed from the trap, the trap loses its power to capture.

I have previously articulated that the true Sufi "is one who is not" (ṣūfī ān būd ke nabūd). That is, their being is devoid of attachments and desires. This verse, in essence, is the practical embodiment of that very meaning. I recall how the eloquent Sa'di once asked a dervish, "What does your heart desire?" and the dervish replied, "That my heart desire nothing." This is precisely the ideal of freedom from the bonds of longing, which Mevlana's words present as both a warning and a guide.

What is the outcome of this liberation? Mevlana states that when you release these "chains of attachment," which are but desires, "you will feel an opening." A heavy burden is lifted from your shoulders, and "you become light, light, you take flight." This flight signifies the freedom and release from the bonds that desires tie around our hands and feet; a state that even Hafez sought, when he said: "I am the slave of the will of one who, under the blue dome of heaven, / Is free from whatever takes on the hue of attachment."

Yet, the other side of the coin carries an admonitory message: "When you fall into its opposite, you will see corruption." This means that when you embark upon the path of desire, when you surrender the reins of your heart to yearning and craving, then you will succumb to corruption and decay. This corruption can be both internal and external; the decay of the spirit and soul that follows the unrestrained fulfillment of desires.

Ultimately, Mevlana advocates for confronting this enslavement to desires not through a futile struggle against the world, but through self-vigilance. If, as he suggests, you are "observant and alert," then you will witness the consequences of your desires and the recompense for your actions in this very life. This inner alertness demands that we "consult our hearts" (istaft al-qalb); that is, we inquire of our awakened conscience what the right path is, rather than relying on a thousand external jurists and pronouncements. It is this vigilance and self-knowledge that liberates us from the trap of desires and the corruption it engenders.

Key takeaways

• The world is a snare baited by desires; the path to freedom lies in turning away from them.
• Mevlana's teaching aligns with Buddhist thought on desire as the root of suffering, explicitly commanding: "Desire nothing" (non-craving).
• This verse embodies the Sufi concept of "non-being" (nabūd) or self-control, where the Sufi empties themselves of all worldly desires.
• Freedom from the bonds of desires leads to lightness of being and a feeling of "taking flight"; an inner expansion that lifts a heavy burden.
• Mevlana warns that pursuing desires (the opposite of liberation) inevitably leads to "corruption" and the decay of the soul and spirit.
• Inner vigilance and "consulting one's heart" (istaft al-qalb)—relying on one's conscience—are key tools for recognizing and controlling desires to escape the world's trap.